5 year female Ekky playing up

[Janine]

Hi there, I need some advice for my 5 year ekky that is doing our head in at the moment. We live in an apartment. Her cage is kept outdoors and she has a freestanding perch indoors. For the last couple of years, she has stayed in the cage during the day whilst we are at work. At night, we bring her inside and she sleeps on her perch. She has previously stayed on her perch happily until about 6.30-7am. She has recently been getting off the perch at bed time. She hides under the dining table. I have picked her up and placed her on the perch up to 10 times until I have had enough and put her back on the balcony in her cage. The issue with that is that I dont want her to get in the habit of sleeping outside as she will wake up the neighbours will early morning screeching.
Also, she has recently started biting my husband, so he doesnt have much to do with her anymore.
She is also very territorial with certain parts of the house, such as some corners of the kitchen.
Any suggestions please? I dont want to have to give her up as she has been a relatively good bird until recently.

 

[pacoparrot]

She sounds like she is hormonal and looking for a place to lay eggs. She is seeking out places for a nest and is guarding them. The only cure I can think for this is to prevent her from getting on the floor and finding dark quiet spots to claim. Don't put any snuggle huts or boxes in her cage so she doesn't make a nest in her cage too. It is difficult when they get this way. Hopefully someone can come along with better advice.

 

[Sterling1113]

Pacoparrot pretty much hit the nail on the head there- I don't have experience with myself- but some things that might help would be to remove the shredding toys(anything she can make a nest out of, goes hand-in-hand with the removal of huts or nesting places) and perhaps get her an indoor cage, to keep her from running around at night? Try to re-direct her attention with trick-training, using her favourite treat. Anything to mentally and/or physically stimulate her and keep her occupied. Also try to avoid touching her in "sensual" areas. (Back of the neck, under the wings, etc.) as it will only make her bond to whoever is doing it and she'll be aggressive to the other.
Hormonal seasons are tough, and the best advice in all honesty is patience. Best of luck with your bird, I'm sure you'll do what's best!

 

[Janine]

Thanks for the advice. Do you think I should move her when she is in a territorial corner or leave her there. All this advice makes sense. When she is in a corner in the kitchen, she is clawing at the wooden floors like a dog digging. Looks extremely strange! Should I leave her or move her away?

 

[labell]

I disagree with some of what is being said. A female going hormonal is completely normal, most will eventually do it to some extent or another, you can't suppress Mother Nature. There are things you can do to keep your hands, or possessions safe and things to make it less frustrating and dangerous for her but thinking you can curb it all together is just not going to happen. Expecting a female in nesting mode to stay on an open perch all night is not going to happen, she is going to look for a great dark safe nesting spot and she is going to defend it aggressively.

Can I ask why her cage is outside? I let mine have outside time in a cage when the weather is nice but I wouldn't leave them on a balcony unsupervised all day for fear of what could happen. I would move her cage inside (or buy another cage for inside use) which would be the best imo if she is used to having outdoor time. Provide her in the cage with stuff to shred and chew, this may save your personal household belongings while still giving her an outlet for her raging hormones. Hormone and nesting mode is something you just have to ride out with these gals. Have a more hands off approach during these times as she is going to be testy. Use a stick to get her up and out of undesirable places and try avoiding letting her get to those places.

 

[labell]

Here is what I would do, find a cardboard box that will fit in the bottom of her cage and is ultimately large enough for her to fit in. Fold over the sides so it closes, don't use tape for safety reasons. Before folding the box up completley jam it full (very tight) with shredded paper, pine cones, blocks of soft untreated wood like pine or balsam. Cut a dime sized hole in two of the sides so she clearly see's a place to start and then let her have at it. If she finishes clearing it out and can get inside and is still hormonal make a new one for her.
The only time I would really freak out over a female going hormonal is if she began laying eggs constantly because then it can become dangerous for her. If she does lay eggs it is best to allow her to sit them. You can buy fake ones to replace the real ones so they don't begin to stink. She will know after the appropriate amount of time has passed that they are not fertile and will abandon them. Letting her sit them discourages her from laying more, which you don't want.
Good luck, don't give up on your gal it will pass.

 

[labell]

I also want to add that this is another one of those situations where maybe the route you would take with other parrots just won't work with eclectus.
Female's once they hit sexually maturity will go through cycles year round as that is how they breed in the wild. They do not have a particular season and most breeders actually have to remove the box and force breaks or their pairs would go all year long.
Trick training by means of distraction with a full on hormone driven female is going to get you bit. At this point they have only one thing on their minds, finding, procuring and defending a nest. You will have better results letting her vent and expend that energy on shredding and chewing things like the box I described above than trying to curb these urges which will only make her more frustrated and won't work anyway. She will move through the cycle and the issues will lessen but they are not going to completely go away. Understanding your girl's behavior will go a long way to finding coping methods to get through the worst of it.
To me these redheads are absolutely fascinating, in the wild it is rare for the female to be the defender of the nest, the female eclectus does it very well, at times killing other females and even fighting off larger cockatoos for the perfect site. That is where she then stays head out of the nest hole calling for males to come feed her and mate with her. One female has been observed having as many as 7 males at her beck and call. She is a gal who knows what she wants and how to get it.
Bringing wild animals into our home comes with it the great responsibility to understand as much as we can about their wild behavior and rather than try to repress it, understand and work through it.

 

[Janine]

Thank you Iabell for your comments and advice.
Basically the main reason I dont have an indoor cage is purely because I dont have much room in my apartment for a cage and I know an Ekky really does need a big cage to move around freely. Her outdoor cage is quite big and does have a lot of stimulating toys for her.
She also likes to move freely around the apartment, which is fine (except for the night hours when we are asleep).
Last night we tried another tactic. We removed all the dining chairs away from the dining table and into the spare room (previouly she was hiding under the tables) and in this instance it worked, she stayed on her perch all night, but unsure if that was pure luck though.
Thank you so much for your advice.

 

[labell]

It may become necessary at some point for you to get her a smaller inside sleeping cage just to keep her safe. Where do you live that she can be outside year round during the day? I am so sick of winter right now I could scream I am desperately seeking sunshine and at this point will even stand sometimes in the light that comes through the window like a cat!

 

[Janine]

Hi Iabell,
I live in Sydney (we have just finished summer) and I live on a 3rd floor apartment in a beachside suburb.
She is relatively safe out there during the day and other birds come for a visit (usually magpies) and try to interact with her from outside the cage.
She doesnt ever get out of the house either. We tried taking her out a few times when she was a baby but she gets carsick and vomits, so we stopped trying to get her out and about years ago.
You have a lot of ekky's! They must keep you busy!

 

[labell]

Yes I am their slave and they know it! LOL!